Cost of Living in Buckeye
Buckeye offers a genuinely more affordable Phoenix-metro cost profile than its East Valley counterparts, anchored by a below-national-median home price, offset by Arizona's real flat 2.5% income tax and a comparatively high 9.3% combined sales tax rate.
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Learn moreA real, below-national-median housing cost anchors the affordability picture
Buckeye's median home sale price is $399,772 (Redfin, June 2026, down 1.3% YoY) -- below the ~$408,776 US national median cited elsewhere in this dataset, and meaningfully below both Gilbert's ($579,685) and Queen Creek's (~$619K-$665K) figures researched in this same session.
Arizona's flat 2.5% income tax is real, not zero
Buckeye residents pay Arizona's flat 2.5% individual income tax (in effect since tax year 2023) -- the lowest flat rate of any US income-tax state, but a genuine, ongoing cost, not a no-income-tax situation.
A comparatively high combined sales tax rate
Buckeye's combined sales tax rate is 9.3% (5.6% AZ state + 0.7% Maricopa County + 3.0% Buckeye city rate) -- higher than Gilbert's 8.3% and Queen Creek's 8.55%-9.0%, driven by Buckeye's higher city-level rate. This is a real, day-to-day cost factor worth weighing against the lower housing cost.
Homeowners insurance carries a genuinely wide, disclosed spread
Sources cited Buckeye homeowners insurance ranging from $1,322/year (State Farm-specific figure) to $2,340/year (a May 2026 general average), against a statewide Arizona range of $2,000-$2,600/year -- a real, unreconciled spread rather than one settled figure; get a current quote for a specific address.
Key takeaways
- Buckeye's $399,772 median home price (June 2026) runs below the national median and below both Gilbert's and Queen Creek's figures researched in this same session -- the clearest driver of Buckeye's more affordable cost profile.
- Arizona's flat 2.5% state income tax applies here -- a real, ongoing cost, not a no-income-tax framing.
- Buckeye's 9.3% combined sales tax rate runs higher than Gilbert's (8.3%) or Queen Creek's (8.55%-9.0%) -- a real, disclosed day-to-day cost tradeoff against the lower housing price.
- Homeowners insurance estimates ranged widely this session ($1,322-$2,340/year depending on source and provider) -- get a specific quote rather than relying on one figure.
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